More Facing Eviction
Housing Worries On Rise Within DC 37

By MEREDITH KOLODNER

District Council 37 revealed last week that the number of members facing eviction from their homes is on the rise, even though they are receiving more housing assistance from the city.

The Chief-Leader/Pat Arnow 'CAN'T AFORD TO LIVE HERE': Joan Beranbaum, director of DC 37's legal services division, has seen an increasing number of members facing eviction as city housing prices continue to rise.

DC 37's legal services division counseled 1,852 members in 2005 and 2,187 last year whose landlords were trying to evict them. The union's legal advisers say that the cases have also become increasingly severe, with more landlords seeking to take over apartments rather than simply demanding payment of back rent. Housing advocates say that skyrocketing rents and stagnant wages for low-income residents have led to a citywide increase in housing problems and homelessness.

'A Bad Situation'

Union officials say that rising rents are part of why they want city employees to be allowed to live in nearby counties outside the city.

"It's a bad situation when you work for the city and you can't afford to live here," said Joan Beranbaum, director and chief counselor for DC 37's Municipal Employee Legal Services (MELS). "The amount of rent that our clients are paying is becoming an ever-increasing percentage of take-home pay."

Linda Bostic, a juvenile counselor at a detention center in The Bronx, almost ended up without a home last year. After being diagnosed with diabetes and using up all of her sick days, she was forced to stay home from work and make do without pay. By last spring, she was about $10,000 behind in rent.

Ms. Bostic, 59, and her grandson were saved from eviction after MELS helped her get a one-time grant from the city for about $5,000. Combined with money from a social service group and about $3,000 of her own money, she was able to pay her back rent just one day before the deadline.

'One Step From Street'

"I was one step away from being put out on the street," she said. "It's still difficult. I pay $1,220 for an apartment in the South Bronx. It's too much."

Ms. Beranbaum says that many people with moderate incomes would have a hard time finding legal help in a similar situation.

"They are not eligible for Legal Services because they're over the income limit," she said, "but most of our members don't have enough money to afford a private lawyer." Average salaries for DC 37 members are about $30,000 per year.

Mayor Bloomberg last week announced that his 10-year affordable housing plan had reached the benchmark of 55,000 units out of the planned 165,000. But the Mayor's yearly Management Report last month revealed a 24-percent increase in the number of families entering shelters.

Housing researchers say steadily rising housing costs and a loss of subsidized units are responsible for the crisis.

'Lost Affordable Housing'

Brad Lander, the director of the Pratt Center for Community Development, said, "There has been a serious loss of existing affordable housing, thousands of units. The city has a good program for producing some new affordable housing, but it couldn't possibly keep up."

Using Census Bureau data, Mr. Lander found that city rent prices rose by 21 percent over the past five years while median annual income increased by only 6 percent. DC 37's salaries increased by a little more than 11 percent over the past five years.

While home ownership stood at an all-time high of 33 percent in the city in 2005, housing advocates say that the numbers mask a growing gap. The Community Service Society's annual housing hardships survey tracks how many families have fallen behind in mortgage or rent payments, how many were forced to double up, had their utilities cut off or were actively seeking shelter. In 2002, 36 percent of low-income families experienced one or more of these problems. Last year the number jumped to 52 percent.

In August of 2005, DC 37 got an agreement from the city to give its members 5-percent preference in the lotteries for subsidized apartments, and down-payment assistance for new homes. About 1,200 members have gotten city help through the program, and some members have received Section 8 housing vouchers when the union realized they had become homeless. But sometimes even the extra help isn't enough.

Nothing Reasonable Left

"I have people who are pre-approved by the banks and they still can't find a place," said Henry Garrido, the Assistant Associate Director of DC 37, who oversees the housing program. "The places where you used to be able to find a decent home for $400,000 three years ago are gone. Now you need a half-million to buy a home in a decent neighborhood."

The housing crisis is one reason DC 37 has been trying to convince the City Council to allow its members to live in six state counties near the city.

"That's why the residency legislation is so important to us," said Mr. Garrido. "It gives the opportunity for municipal workers to expand their search."

But the residency measure has stalled in the Council, with opposition led by members of its Black and Latino Caucus who believe the change would take jobs away from their constituents.

With no slow-down in home prices, analysts do not expect the housing crisis to abate any time soon.

"I've been doing this for over 30 years," said Ms. Beranbaum. "The stories that our clients come in with and their experiences - it still brings me to tears. There are very difficult lives that some of our members lead."